“Don’t you think sending any type of message is risky?” Areti asked as the ship decanted from hyperspace on the outward rim of the Ambria system.
“I will have to boost the signal’s strength from this position but it’s RF Areti, the Empire does not monitor those frequencies.” N’dali conveyed through her comm link, her mind tethered to the draping network of cables in the ship’s aft cargo hold. “Hold position here for a moment please, I will need to reroute power for the communication so stand ready.”
From her seat in the Gozanti’s cockpit, Areti could only shrug as various light emitting controls flashed to darkness before her. ‘Why didn’t the Empire monitor radio frequencies anymore?’ She considered absently to herself, laughing slightly at the thought. “Not my problem.” She said aloud.
“What?” N’dali returned.
“Nothing...nothing. Just thinking out loud.” Areti responded beginning to rub her hands together as the chill of space began seeping into the cockpit.
“Areti, there is a staggering amount of activity on and around Ambria. Executor, Ravager. Temple Garden? Sylde and a small contingent of his fleet are there. I do not recognize any of the ships they are contending with.” N’dali spoke quickly and with little context for Areti to follow.
“Ravager.” Areti said, a mental practice to focus her mind on a particular train of thought. “Grand Admiral Haisava Tethys. Her fleet has been converging upon distil threats from corners of the outer rim for months. She is aggressive without reserve, serves order primarily and is quick to action.” Areti was sure her astute assessment was accurate as she focused on ‘Temple Garden.’ “I do not recognize the third name N’dali.”
“Running signal trace...analysis...processing….Temple Garden is, no, was, a Mon Calamari luxury cruise liner. Her current version is an oscillating prototype heavy battleship.” N’dali conveyed, her voice systematic, machinelike.
“Oscillating prototype?” Areti asked, rubbing her hands across her shoulders and chest.
“Cumulative energy appropriation and subsequent concentrated discharge. Interesting.”
Areti wasn’t sure if ‘interesting’ was the correct word, but her perspective was skewed by her immediate surroundings as well as the encroaching cold.
“Messages relayed. There are three Star Destroyers circumventing the planet and will converge on the Temple Garden’s rear in a matter of seconds. Hold please.” N’dali continued in the eerie voice.
‘Hold please’ seemed ridiculous to Areti as she considered her fate completely outside her control now. The continuing thoughts floating unchecked in the back of her mind concerning the myriad levels of treason she was willingly conducting made her snort with ill-timed laughter.
“I fail to see the humor in this.” N’dali said, her voice returning to her own.
“Just thinking through the ramifications of my decision-making processes recently. Even if there were a path back I am certain I wouldn’t take it.” Areti said slapping her hands vigorously on her legs and knees to wake them up. “Any chance we can get some heat back in here N’dali?”
The power returned to her control before the slim fog of her breath dissipated fully. “Of course.” N’dali said. “Please take us to the coordinates I have displayed on your navicomputer. It will bring us to Challenger’s position.”
“Challenger?” Areti asked with a slight tinge of confusion.
“A friend Areti. The Commander has taken a position away from the action but much deeper in the system.”
“I know the ship. My question is only in the relation I have to it and the unfamiliarity I have with the others.” Areti said as her mind raced. “The Empire is not engaging the Rebellion?”
It was N’dali’s turn to find humor in the situation as she chuckled over the comm, “Areti. The Rebellion isn’t confined to a specific fleet, person or even idea, but rather the whole of the galaxy’s exception to a singular method of control or a singular power.” N’dali took time to inflect the statement with her version of emotion, creating an awkwardness between words that Areti found more convincing than she had expected.
“I have heard that we have no idea what we are up against Areti. A statement that imparts nothing but an avenue for the imagination.” She paused briefly before continuing. “I pose the opposite Areti; I pose that the Empire has no idea what it is up against. In truth, because even we do not know our numbers. Whispers of battles that became legend or even myth before word of them even had a chance to span the galaxy.”
Areti considered what she was hearing as she closed her eyes in thought, marrying this conversation to the swirling thoughts of reminiscence. Her mind’s eye flashed several images from her memory of Walker Audenhoen tugging at his chin, scratching at his temple in frustration or slamming his fist into his own desk. Endless data files containing after action reports, all of which support the concept of Imperial victory after victory. All the promotions enacted over her years, celebrated individuals that exemplified Imperial initiatives. There was rarely any mention of defeat, of loss or of misdeeds, even more recently with the wake of desertion on the rise after the destruction of the mobile battle station. “DS1.” Areti said in a whisper she hadn’t committed to.
“And now you are starting to understand.” N’dali said coolly through the ships comm.
Areti flared her eyes open, “protocol seventeen!” She said suddenly, motioning to get up out of the pilot’s seat, the harness she still had strapped around her body having other ideas.
“Specifically, Directive twenty-one A.” N’dali responded, detailing the Chalactan’s epiphany. “Despite the aggressive exterior of the order through the minds of those the Empire has brainwashed, it is an admission to the remainder of the galaxy. An admission of weakness and loss of control. The Imperial war machine is turning out more weapons than it ever has, building naval vessels faster than they are losing them but that isn’t a point they can convey to the masses.” N’dali paused again, unsure if feeding Areti more information was a wise decision given the age of their relationship. She had a thought as she weighed any consequence she could imagine. “How much do you want to know Areti Sigurn?”
Areti was silent in the cockpit of the Gozanti freighter letting the question fuel both her imagination and anxiety. “The acquisition of knowledge brings with it both the responsibility to utilize it as well as the burden of knowing it.” She said, staring at the stars ahead of her. “Walker used to say that a long time ago.”
“Audenhoen is wise Areti, as are you.”
Areti could feel a tear forming in the corner of her eye. “I want to know everything N’dali.”
✦
“TIE formation Captain.” Hung’s tactical officer intoned.
Walker Audenhoen focused his attention forward as Tagata Taia ended its hyperspace travel with a skewed vision of Ambria snapping into view. He watched with curious interest as the view canted starboard and the upper deck of the ‘Broocal’ entered view. He got up from his seat and approached the viewport noting the aligning position of ‘Herrell’ as well. There was nothing cryptic in the title of the formation itself he thought to himself as the three Star Destroyers configured themselves into a point defensive formation that resembled a TIE fighter. Both Acclamator class vessels acting as the solar wings, proficiently utilizing their strengths in an arena for battle neither were designed for. The third acting as both a forward gunnery cannonade and protection for the Acclamators weaker top side armor. “Brilliant.” He said.
“We think so too Deputy Director.” Captain Chenyu Hung said, approaching Audenhoen’s rear.
Walker didn’t turn toward the man, simply watched in amazement as the three Star Destroyers converged into a unilaterally tight pattern.
“We will relinquish control of the vessels helm to the Broocal for the duration of our flight toward the planet.” Hung said in response, closing the distance and taking up residence directly beside the Deputy Director. “It allows us to effectively operate as a single vessel, leaving only our aft exposed.”
Audenhoen watched on as the proximity involved in the maneuver would have already signaled blaring klaxons on any other ship. “Aft exposure would be nullified by the entirety of your fleets contingent I see.”
“It would at that.” The Captain commented after a few moments.
“I would apologize for my earlier comments Captain. The immediacy of our situation had not allowed me time to consider what has already transpired.” Audenhoen said without turning toward the Captain.
“No apologies necessary Audy, it is clear the actions of your assistant are weighing on you greatly.” Hung responded.
Walker didn’t register any condescension in the statement whatsoever and adopted an angered expression. “I didn’t see it coming Chenyu...I didn’t see it…” He said through seething lips as he absently tapped a closed fist against the transparisteel.
The Captain did something Audenhoen did not expect as he placed an open hand over his shoulder, “we never expect deception from those closest to us.”
Walker turned his head slowly to look upon the man, “Chenyu, it is my job to expect deception from everyone.”
Captain Hung turned his own head to catch the Deputy Directors glare.
“Captain! We have multiple marks at two three point six, closing fast on Executor!”
Chenyu Hung’s nostrils flared as he continued staring back into Audenhoen’s penetrating gaze. “Alert Mattac and suggest intercept course.” He said over his shoulder.
“Your formation does little to enable your fighter contingent Captain.” Walker said, returning his gaze to the ventral doors of the ships top side hangar decks, “proximity can be deceiving.”
“Mattac has the helm, target Venator class Star Destroyer forty plus seconds out.” The same voice said.
“This is how we die.” Audenhoen said in a whisper, loud enough for only the two of them.
“I am prepared to die for my Empire Deputy Director.” Hung said in his own low whisper, turning his own gaze out toward their prey.
“And them?” Walker said with a nod over his shoulder.
“Will follow me to hell if necessary.”
“Captain! Multiple hostiles...multiple hostiles! Secutor class, port side, two hundred thousand kliks out. Picket corvettes taking up broadside positions port side as well.”
Hung gripped his throat loosely, “Mattac tighten our formation and prepare for enemy fighters. We will open fire when in range.”
“Hung this is a screening diversion, suggest we maintain heading and follow through with our orders.”
“He’s right Captain.” Audenhoen said, his gaze still fixed forward with a closed fist resting on the transparisteel. He turned his head slightly toward Hung, “although that would leave your aft exposed.”
“Accelerate formation Mattac, close distance to the Venator and bring us within range of concentrated fire, we will strafe what we can and debark formation at Executor’s position.” Hung said, his fingers straddling his throat once again.
“Sir, the port side hostiles?” The same alarmed voice asked.
“Siento, shut up.” Hung said loud enough for his command deck to overhear.
“Placing yourself purposefully between converging fleets. I admire your resolve Captain…....” Audenhoen said as he suddenly lost interest in the conversation by a bright green flash closer to the planet. The intensity of the flash continued as he involuntarily brought is arm up to shield his eyes. “What the hell was that?” He managed to say while profusely rubbing the sight back into his eyes. He turned to the ship’s Captain hoping the man could answer the question, however, his expression conveyed the same questions he had rather than any answers.
“Ship destroyed?” Hung asked, rubbing at his own eyes.
“Green flare.” Audenhoen resorted to reason over speculation, “would not be consistent with an exploding warship.”
“That we know of.” Hung added.
“Yes. That we know of.” Audenhoen was lost to his thoughts for a moment before shaking his head. “Too many unknowns to speculate.”
Hung spun toward his comm officer, “anything from Executor or Ravager?”
“Nothing sir, only dead space over comms. They appear to have been compromised Sir.”
Hung growled to himself as he began to grapple with scenarios. He knew both Capital ships, if damaged, were now vulnerable to attack, or worse, hijacking. They would both need protection in that event, contrary to their orders. ‘Where the hell is Sylde.’ He thought to himself, knowing his own Commander would have access to the data necessary to formulate an educated decision.
“This seems close enough to hell for me Captain.” Audenhoen said, concern stretching across the man’s face.
Hung considered the man’s words for a moment through the cumulative perspective of his earlier comments regarding chaos as a faint transmission buzzed the shipboard comms. Repeated static waves hid the attempt someone was making to contact them.
“Isolate that signal, clean that garbage out of the feed.” Audenhoen said before Hung could. Chenyu nodding his approval to his comms officer in response to the man’s hesitation.
A few long seconds passed as the command deck endured ringing feedback loops and ear-splitting tones that made most clap hands over their heads before the officer was able to clean up the message enough to be understood. “This is Vice Admiral Rae Sloane aboard the Star Dreadnought Ravager. Are there any Imperial vessels operational?”
“What channel is this feed?” Hung asked with dour speculation dripping from his voice.
“Three point three three seven, encrypted emergency use.” Came his answer.
Hung offered the comms officer a brief thumbs up before toggling at his throat once again. “This is Captain Chenyu Hung of Tagata Taia, Silent Fleet. Do you require assistance Vise Admiral?”
A quick wave of static greeted his question followed just as quickly by a sharp modulated ping, “I would not be utilizing emergency channels otherwise Captain.” Audenhoen chuckled to himself, ‘she’s fine.’ He thought.
“We have been compromised by an oscillation discharge and are temporarily incapacitated. I am requesting picket blockades until we can get ourselves and Executor back online to support ground side operations.” “Copy Vise Admiral, we are en route.” Hung returned. “Mattac copy?”
“Loud and clear.”
The feed buzzed in odd cadences again before Tethys’s voice emerged, “what is Silent Fleet Captain?”
“The answer to your query can and will be offered outside the purview of unsecure channels Grand Admiral.” Evan Sylde’s voice interjected, Audenhoen noting the slackening of Hung’s shoulders in its wake, although he wasn’t sure if it was relief or dejection.
✦
“Shallah, you have three incoming marks, closely grouped. They didn’t take our bait.” Reece said through the Tacnet.
“Have you deployed fighters?” She asked in response.
He wasn’t sure if he should answer that. ‘No, I defied your order.’ or ‘Yes, and already recalled them.’ “That’s irrelevant, we’re on their six and will hem them in between us. Scans suggest an odd formation, two Acclamator class Star Destroyers deployed perpendicular to an Imperial class SD at the center. We are currently occupying the config’s only weak point; however, they are accelerating more quickly than we can.”
“What do mean it’s irrelevant?” She responded.
Reece blew out his breath, “No, I didn’t deploy the fighters. Good that I hadn’t now don’t you think?”
There was a heart sinking moment of uneasy quiet in response. “We’ll discuss that over dinner later hon. In the meantime, get your ass up here!” She said after letting the moment intensify in his mind.
‘Why does Vomend get all the fun missions.’ Reece thought to himself as he waved for his helmsman’s attention. The Weequay finally acknowledged the wave with a crooked smile as he throttled the ships thruster yoke all the way forward a second out of sync with the inertia dampener causing everyone on the ships bridge to jostle backward, scattering data pads and uniform hats in the process.
“Forward Captain!” The Weequay offered as he laughed with youthful enthusiasm.
‘Vomend needs to experience this end of the fleet to truly understand the magnitude of degradation he allows on his vessels.’ Reece thought with a sly chuckle under his breath, despite the seriousness of their situation. With a shake of his head, he walked the span of the bridge decking to a holo image of their ship rotating slowly above its emitter, his flight Commander pouring over still images of the grouped formation of enemy vessels on his data pad seated adjacent. “What do you think?”
“As you suggested Captain, the aft is the weak point...if we can get to it. The ‘Old Lady’ isn’t going to be able to evade those ships Reece. They’re built for bunker busting, low altitude bombardment. If Shallah is caught in their path they’ll tear her apart.” “Launch fighters now?” Reece asked, “because I am sure Nohk won’t be back anytime soon.”
“If we do we’ll have to hang back in a loose follow….damned if we do, damned if we don’t.” Tellus Var responded, alerting Reece to the obvious with his face turned down in concern, the corners of his lips tugging the strands of his stringy mustache lower to frame his boxy chin. “My fighters could slow down their advance, but as you know we have only two flight capable B-wings now. If that assembly were to turn on us….”
“And Shallah is too far out to offer any support…” Reece said, tightening his features into a grimace of frustration.
“Precisely Captain.” Var punctuated.
Reece pushed himself back from the holo table and crossed his arms before his chest in thought, weighing his options as quickly as possible while knowing his window to act was closing quickly by the second. ‘Where the hell is Kalla.’ He thought, doing his best to wish her into his presence. He knew the answer to his query lie within the very quandary presented to him as he could not conceive a solution to save both himself and his wife collectively. Reece had no idea who Conda was or where he had come from, only that Kalla had pleaded on his behalf even at the expense of her own safety. He closed his eyes tightly as the mental image of the Ikotchi came to the forefront, tears streaming from her eyes, in the most compassionate tirade of personal sacrifice he had ever witnessed. How the woman was hysterical over the basic notion that something untoward could or would happen to this man that had only been a part of her life for days replayed itself through his thoughts. He knew what that felt like because he felt it too. Every time they were called upon to fight he worried uncontrollably over what may or may not happen to the thick-headed warrior he had married, that same thick-headed warrior that currently lay between two enemy forces. “Var.” Reece said as he opened his eyes slowly, reaching out again with both arms to support himself on the rim of the holo table, “launch all fighters. Target sub light and Ion drives. I want those ships dead in space.”
“All Sir?” Tellus Var responded turning his head toward his Captain, his eyes flared wide in surprise.
“All Tellus.” Reece responded with a severity that surprised him. ‘We’re coming honey.’ He thought as Tellus rose from his seat and sprinted from the command deck and out toward the pilot ready rooms.
✦
Vice Admiral Rae Sloane stared up at the command deck’s ceiling, blinking through her hazy eyes at sparking conduit and the residual effects of fire suppressant foams as the image of a man came into view. The man’s face was covered in scratches, a thin line of red trailing down his left cheek from a garish wound somewhere in the tangle of hair on his head. The man was clearly shouting something that she had yet to register, his eyes wide with worry and concern. Drips of spittle from his soundless spoken volley spraying her at intervals as he reached a hand down to help lift her upright. She stared into his mouth as he was repeating the same message repeatedly, the sound she knew should be accompanying the man’s words lost to the high-pitched ringing throttling her brain and threatening to steal her sense of balance. As she canted forward from her sprawled position with his assistance, the hazy view only offered her more of the same. Continuous movement throughout the vast command deck promised to elevate her discombobulation as subordinates scrambled back and forth, doing their best to restore order to the chaos her bridge had become. She felt the man place a hand at her back and another on the side of her head as he parted the disheveled braids of her hair and pull his hand back gently inspecting its contents. The ringing in her ears had yet to terminate, a constant high-pitched whine that was becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate through although she could make out a few of the words the man was saying in a muffled garble as she slowly dropped her own foggy gaze to the smear of blood on the man’s hand. She felt her heart race immediately as a rare sense of panic gripped her core, soothed immediately by her very nature and the calm demeanor of the man assisting her.
The clouds of confusion began to dissipate as Rae Sloane slowly began to understand what she was amid, the man that had been assisting her, the one whom had insisted on calling over a medic to begin bandaging her head was her very own Commander.
“Arnau?” She attempted speech yet was unable to hear her own voice.
Her Commander clearly understood what she was experiencing as he brought a finger to his mouth in a prompt for her to keep quiet. He nodded his acquiescence to her question as he turned his head out and away from her view as she felt the tug on her skull from the tight wrapping the medic was applying, calling attention back to the bone jarring whine that threatened to shatter her bones. She dropped both hands to the floor to push herself up to her feet despite multiple hands from others resisting her intent. “I’m ok…” She heard herself say in a dull muffled expression that sounded garbled to her as she looked back into Commander Arnau’s eyes when he turned to face her again. He didn’t bother with a verbal retort and simply shook his head in the negative.
Sloane could feel her frustration and building contempt threaten to take over her actions as the foggy visage of the chaotic activity around her began to fade into clear pandemonium. She would not allow the chaos to continue as she allowed her impulse and instinct to drive her actions fully, pushing herself up from the ground and onto her knees while batting the resistive hands from their purchase on her shoulders. She tugged her head free of the medic’s actions and grabbed at a twisted handrail broken from its fastening alongside the data console before her. “Get off!” She finally shouted as she batted Arnau’s hand away again and pulled herself to her feet. Sloane immediately knew it was a mistake as waves of nausea and confounding dizziness tried their best to take her feet from under her again. She grunted deeply as she pushed through the initial waves and focused her vision on a white light inset into the data console doing her best to focus on nothing else for a few moments. She closed off her mind to the shouts of her crew, the clanging of metal as parts of the command deck were finishing their descents from their moorings above or being dragged out of the way by technicians and conscripted stormtroopers alike. She focused solely on the white light as she pushed her thoughts through the ringing in her ears, reducing them to mildly irritating pings. Sloane closed her eyes as she forced herself to breathe in and out as deeply and methodically as possible, creating a semblance of clarity and the path she needed to restore order.
Sloane opened her eyes, giving the white light one final stare before lifting her head to the bedlam before her. Despite the air scrubbers pulling the smoke from the room at a frantic pace, it billowed along the ceiling of the vacuous bridge, concealing sparks of overloaded power conduits and sources of dripping suppressant foams. She turned slowly from the edges of her peripheral noting several scorch marks across wall and floor alike, trailing up consoles and covering a wide swath of the data pits recessed into the decking. “Damage.” She said finally, shaking free of her personal ailments to concentrate her energy on the ship’s status.
“Ma’am, we have multiple hull breaches. Power is minimal throughout the ship; we are operating on primary backup only now.” Commander Arnau said, and then said again as she cupped a hand over her ear.
“Reactors?” Sloane responded with immediate concern, pushing past the fogginess circulating once more through her throbbing head.
“Offline and cooling. We are trying to get power routed to them to keep them warm now. We have crews on decks twelve through seventeen repairing the transfer lines as we speak.”
“Casualties?” Sloane asked after nodding her approval of the man’s preliminary actions.
“Forty-three dead and well over two thousand wounded…...Ma’am, Grand Admiral Tethys has been gravely wounded. She is expected to survive her injuries but is incapable of resuming her command now.” Arnau hesitated as his words slowly worked their way into Tethys’s conscience, “Ma’am you are acting Fleet Admiral.”
“Arnau, what happened?” Sloane asked, retracing the moments before she had lost consciousness.
“Your query regarding our adversary’s ability to house an oscillator was well founded. We are currently cleaning up the results of a single discharge.”
Sloane chanced a glance toward the holotable, hoping the image would proffer some measure of fortune in the wake of the devastation, only to find it nonfunctional in the dim glow of the red emergency lighting. ‘That’s impossible’ she thought to herself as her mind was slowly becoming her own once more, knowing full well weaponization of captured energy was only conceptual within the confines of certain branch divisions of military intelligence, her thoughts directing her toward paths counterintuitive to her immediate situation. “Arnau...of the fleet?”
The Commander’s eyes sagged as he dipped his chin lower into his chest, his lips shaking as he tried to find the words to convey the answer to his Vice Admiral. “We were able to restore power to short range scanners….Ma’am, Lucidity and Ariane took the discharge head on, from our calculations Lucidity was ground zero. Ma’am the ships are just gone….” He paused as he slowly lifted his chin to face his Admiral fully, “Atomized. Several of our picket and screening vessels were consumed and destroyed in the seismic wake. Although we can scan multiple capital vessels, our comms are currently down.”
“Shesa, Barden….” Tethys said softly into the air between them, aware as she heard her own voice as a whisper that she had said the names aloud.
“Gone Ma’am….” Arnau responded, his own voice a whisper as he brought his head closer to hers.
Rae Sloane felt the rare wave of apprehension work its way up from the pit of her churning stomach, her mind returning her thoughts to the dark avenues of treason and deception they had instinctively gone earlier, knowing again, that neither would serve her immediate predicament, “I want comms up now.” She demanded of her Commander, suppressing both her suspicious emotion and welling anger her thoughts were conjuring.
She pushed herself from the data console before her and tested her balance finding her footing somewhat stable. With a hand brushing over anything useful to grip, she shuffled slowly forward toward the viewport, limping heavily while favoring her left leg. The far-left panel of transparisteel was missing, in its place a shimmering blue magnetic suspension field. She only shook her head as she continued toward the center section of the viewport that had been formerly consumed by the ‘Temple Garden.’ To her left some distance away she could see Executor, canted heavily to her port side she could not visually ascertain any damage the ship may have sustained. The only other body to view was the orange, red and yellow swirls of the planet they were orbiting. “This better be worth the price.” She mumbled to herself as she heard rapid footsteps approaching from behind her.
“Ma’am, comms are up. We can only manage short range at the moment but it should suffice to encompass operational area. Emergency encryption on three point three three seven.”
Sloane tapped at her ear bead, listening attentively as it chirped in a squelched reply then beeped twice as it activated fully, “This is Vice Admiral Rae Sloane aboard the Star Dreadnought Ravager. Are there any Imperial vessels operational?”
Several long seconds passed as the transmission buzzed in a light static with no response at all. Tethys felt her grip on hope begin to dwindle just before the static gave way to several chirps followed by open air.
“This is Captain Chenyu Hung of Tagata Taia, Silent Fleet. Do you require assistance Vice Admiral?”
“I would not be utilizing emergency channels otherwise Captain.” Sloane replied as delicately as her frustration allowed. “We have been compromised by an oscillation discharge and are temporarily incapacitated. I am requesting picket blockades until we can get ourselves and Executor back online to support ground side operations.”
She finished; her attention immediately focused on the Captains fleet designation. Her mind wandered right back to those dark avenues of deception uncovering a non-conventional severity that caused another wave of apprehension. “Copy Vice Admiral, we are en route.” The Captain replied.
Sloane would not be denied at least some answers, “what is Silent Fleet Captain?”
Her feed returned nothing but grains of static and pings of interference before silencing again, “the answer to your query can and will be offered outside the purview of unsecure channels Vice Admiral.” Another voice answered, one she had never heard before. The finality within the responders’ tone affirmed there would be no further conversation on the topic, yet she knew she was far from done inquiring. She would find the answers her sanity required one way or another.